Report: Miami Dolphins put Mike Wallace on trade block

Former Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Wallace had issues both on the field and in the locker room in Miami.

When the Miami Dolphins signed former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace in 2013, they were hoping to get the burner who scared defenses around the league and created offense with his big play ability. Instead they got an overpaid locker room cancer.

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Now it looks as though the Dolphins are going to be shopping Wallace and his big salary cap hit around the league seeing if they can get any takers.

From NFL.com:

"NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported on NFL Total Access on Wednesday that the Dolphons are exploring the trade route based not just on Wallace’s play, but also his fit in the locker room."

Despite this report, Miami executive VP of football operations Mike Tannenbaum chose to remain silent (more or less) on the trade possibility.

"Wallace impacts the game without having the ball in his hands,we like him but we will not comment on trade rumors" Mike Tannenbaum on TOD
— SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) February 26, 2015

In his two years with the Dolphins, Mike Wallace failed to crack 1,000 yards as quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s primary option, despite starting all 32 games during that time period. However, he was able to haul in a solid 10 touchdowns this past season for Miami.

The internal chemistry issues manifested when Wallace extracted himself from the finale this season against the New York Jets. This resulted in a locker room shouting match with Dolphins head coach and expert crisis handler Joe Philbin.

The most visible benefit to trading Wallace would be the cap relief the Dolphins would get from ridding themselves of his contract. Miami is in low supply of cap space this season, and with Mike Wallace geared up to make $9.85 million next year, he is the obvious candidate to provide some aid.

But NFL.com writer Chris Wesseling astutely notes that this is a particularly bad time to throw Wallace on the trade block. With blue-chip prospects like Alabama’s Amari Cooper, West Virginia’s Kevin White and Louisville’s DeVante Parker, wide receiver is perhaps this NFL Draft’s strongest position behind pass rusher. On top of that, there’s an outside possibility that upcoming free agent wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant hit the open market.

Clearly for the Dolphins, if they are looking to trade him the lack of football value that they would receive in return for Mike Wallace would be made up by the value of simply not having him on the team.

It is difficult to find a potential suitor for the speedy receiver. If this situation was being played out five years ago, the Oakland Raiders and their love of top flight speed would have been the first candidate to bite on a Wallace trade. But this year, the Raiders are in an ideal position to have their choice of who they believe to be the best receiver in the draft when they pick fourth in May.

In all likelihood, the Dolphins will end up being forced to cut the receiver, giving teams a shot at picking him up at a reduced price.

[H/T: NFL.com]

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